


Traveling Light But Heavy-Hearted

by fruitygelpens



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Smut, Getting Together, Grinding, Hunk (Voltron) Has Anxiety, M/M, Making Out, Spoilers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, takes place after the events of s2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 02:18:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10151096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fruitygelpens/pseuds/fruitygelpens
Summary: Usually when Lance was sad, he had Hunk to comfort him through his depressive mood-dips. He would pull him into a classic Hunk Hug and let him cry on his shoulder or just talk. Lance loved being enveloped in Hunk's warmth, and soaked up every bit of it whenever he got the chance. When Lance was with Hunk, he was warm. But right now, Lance was cold.in which the team travels to an alien planet for resources and Lance is feeling some sad vibes coming from Hunk.





	

Usually when Lance was sad, he had Hunk to comfort him through his depressive mood-dips. He would pull him into a classic Hunk Hug and let him cry on his shoulder or just talk. Lance loved being enveloped in Hunk's warmth, and soaked up every bit of it whenever he got the chance. When Lance was with Hunk, he was warm. But right now, Lance was cold.

 

After Shiro disappeared, it seemed any traces of happiness on the ship disappeared with him. Lance couldn't remember the last time he saw anyone in the castle smile. Not that he could blame anyone, he didn't feel like smiling either. Regardless, it was still mega weird to see Hunk in his sad, withdrawn state. It broke Lance's heart. The one who usually comforted him was in obvious need of comforting, and Lance wanted to do everything he could to provide that.

 

Life had not left him the opportunity to do that, though. Contrary to what they thought would happen when they beat Zarkon, the paladins had only been working harder to find a way to get Shiro back. Allura was extremely hard on everyone, especially herself. But they had found a way to possibly find Shiro. They could track him through a special device that Slav said he knew how to put together. The problem was they were lacking in materials. That's why they were currently passing through the atmosphere of a planet called Zuethea. They needed teblium panels for the device, which could only be obtained on this planet.

 

However, they couldn't just waltz into Zuethea and get the teblium. Nope, apparently this planet was ruled by a powerful monarch. If they wanted to get anything out of this planet, they would have to get through her first. Typically, Allura would be excited to engage in such diplomacy, but she remained as tense as ever as the terrain of the planet came into view. As for everyone else, they all did their best to subside their perpetual sadness in preparation to socialize.

 

The castle ship stayed in the air as Allura and the other paladins boarded onto a couple of pods to approach land. They didn't want to use any of the lions, for they didn't know if they could trust the Zuetheans just yet. For that reason as well, Coran was staying on the ship to guard it. Lance wondered to himself how Coran would defend himself and the castle if trouble did arise. Maybe he had some kind of secret weapon nobody knew about? God, that would be so cool.

 

Allura, Keith and Pidge were in one pod, while Lance and Hunk shared the other. Lance appreciated the moment he had with Hunk, but he couldn't use it like he wanted to, what with actually having to fly the pod. The most he could do was try to strike up a conversation.

 

From what Lance could see, the planet was pretty beautiful. It was flourishing with life; vines hugged the structures built by civilization and alien flowers bloomed in every direction. "It's nice here, huh?" Lance offered, not really sure what else to say. He glanced behind him at Hunk, who seemed to be spaced out rather than looking at the view.

 

It took a moment for Hunk to snap out of his trance and respond. "Yea," he said shallowly. His face twisted into a queasy-looking expression. "Just please try to fly this pod smoothly?" He almost pleaded, as Lance maneuvered around a large alien tree. Lance huffed in response, staring ahead at the big castle-like structure coming into view.

 

The castle of Zuethea was equally as beautiful as its surroundings. Clearly visible due to its pearly white hue and adorned with flowers of many colors. "Whoa," Lance and Hunk said in unison. Lance saw the other pod that Keith was piloting in his view, heading towards the castle. He sped up to meet their pace.

 

As they approached ground level, a strange noise range through everyone's ears. It sounded like some sort of clicking noise popcorning throughout the land. Lance looked around for the source, and instead caught sight of what seemed to be the planet's people. They were pinkish and humanoid creatures from what Lance could tell from a distance.

 

When the team landed their pods and got out, they were face to face with a group of Zuetheans. Now that Lance had a closer look, he could see that the Zuetheans actually came in many different hues of pink. And that they had only three fingers on each hand. Three very long and creepy-looking fingers. Lance redirected his attention to their faces and noticed another big detail: the Zuetheans had no eyes. They had small slits for nostrils and one mouth that was, in fact, the source of the clicking sound the paladins were hearing, which had only gotten louder since they landed. Oh, Lance thought, he realized the people navigated their surroundings using echolocation. Which he guessed was the reason for the large petal-like flaps on the sides of their heads, to heighten their hearing abilities. There were other things about the Zuetheans that Lance couldn't understand that easily, though, like the three antennas they had on the top of their heads and their lanky figures.

 

Allura approached them with an open presence, "Zuetheans, I am Princess Allura. We have come to ask a favor of Her Majesty and were wondering if you could lead us to her." The Zuetheans hesitated, clicked decisively, then turned to make their way towards the castle entrance, beckoning Allura and the paladins to follow.

 

"This is super weird," Keith mumbled, crossing his arms as he followed Allura and the planet's people.

 

"I think it's cool!" Pidge chirped, looking around in awe at their beautiful surroundings. "These people built up this entire civilization using only echolocation as their sense of sight. It's amazing!" Lance noted the way Pidge's eyes seemed to sparkle as she spoke.

 

He chuckled, "Do you think they communicate in morse code, too?" Keith and Pidge gave him a confused look. "Ha!" Lance barked suddenly. "Imagine one of them is trying to locate something and accidentally swears at another person." He spun to look at Hunk, expectantly. Hunk always laughed at Lance's jokes. But this time he wasn't responding, walking with a facial expression Lance couldn't read.

 

The inside of the castle was stunning. Unlike the exterior, the castle's interior had rose gold accents to it along with its pearly whiteness and it was decorated with alien flower arrangements. Lance, remembering Hunk's love for flowers, turned to look at him. Hunk was fascinated by the arrangements, and stared in awe at them with stars in his eyes. Looking at him, Lance felt as though there were flowers blooming inside his chest. The Zuetheans directed the group to a spiral staircase, pulling a vine that rang a strange-sounding bell as they descended up the steps.

 

When they reached the top, they were greeted with whom Lance assumed was who they were looking for. Unlike the rest of the Zuetheans, this one's pink hue was deepest of them all, a dark fuchsia color. Her Majesty's build was lankier than the rest, and her face was adorned with lines earned from old age. She wore a veil made from pearly beads and lounged lazily in her throne that seemed to levitate off the ground.

 

Allura gestured for the rest of the paladins to stand behind her as she bowed before Her Majesty. Lance and the others hurriedly did the same. "Your Majesty, Zymthys," Allura spoke. Oh, that's what her name is, Lance thought. "I come from Altea."

 

"Altea..." Zymthys repeated in wonder. Lance noted that he was, in fact, wrong about the Zuetheans speaking in morse code. Perhaps it wasn't as universal as he thought. Her Majesty's hand, which had just been resting against her face, fell to rest on the arm of her throne."I haven't heard that name in ten thousand years."

 

"Yes, well..." Allura struggled. She was nervous, Lance could tell. "Though my planet has been destroyed, I, Princess Allura, am still alive." Zymthys hummed deeply, sending shivers down Lance's spine. 

 

"Princess Allura," Zymthys seemed to be transfixed by the way the name felt coming out of her own mouth. Then she turned to face Allura directly, which was startling considering her blindness. "Why are you here?" It was weird. Allura was always such a powerful presence, but before Zymthys she looked like a speck of dust. Lance could tell Allura was thinking the same thing, a bead of sweat trailing down her forehead.

 

"Your Majesty, I have here with me the paladins of Voltron." Zymthys perked up at that, and Allura continued with more confidence. "We have been making valiant and successful efforts fighting the Galra Empire. Zarkon has fallen, but the Empire still stands. We are so close to taking it down now that it lacks a strong leg to stand on, we just need a little leverage."

 

"So...you've come here for my help."

 

"I have come to the understanding that your planet contains a unique element called teblium," Allura explained. "And I wanted to ask for Your Majesty's permission to harvest some. I beg of you, it is for the sake of keeping Voltron in this universe and ending the Empire once and for all." Allura was bowing her head and clasping her hands together tightly. It was the most off-putting thing Lance had ever seen.

 

Zymthys chuckled and sat forward. "Teblium can only be found in the deeper layers of this planet," she informed. "We have mines for this, Allura. And for the safety of my people, they are off limits towards the end of each quintant. We Zuetheans are not the only life on this planet. It's a dangerous world." Allura's shoulders sagged at that, but Her Majesty continued. "However, since you have proven yourself to be such a well-respecting guest, perhaps something could be arranged..."

 

 

Zymthys decided to grant Allura and the paladins permission to stay on Zuethea until the next quintant, then they could harvest the teblium. And Allura must have really charmed Her Majesty, for she even let them stay in her castle. However, there was a slight issue. The castle only had four bedrooms other than Her Majesty's. Lance guessed Zymthys didn't often have large numbers of guests staying at the castle. Regardless, two of the paladins were going to have to share a room. Obviously Allura wasn't going to. She was the princess, and also everyone was more than a little terrified of her.

 

"I am not," Keith began flatly. "Sharing a room with any of you guys."

 

Lance scoffed. "That's hardly a loss, you stink so bad anyways!"

 

"Well, if I was going to be sharing a room, I sure as hell wouldn't share it with you, so no need to worry." Keith had crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Lance.

 

Before Lance could come up with a retort, Pidge stepped in. "Alright let's just figure this out logically. Lance, you and Hunk are more extroverted than the two of us. Why don't you share a room?" She had a point, but Lance was still nervous. Which was odd, considering Hunk and Lance were so close, so it shouldn't have been a problem. Still, a blush creeped up on Lance's face at the thought of sharing a room with him.

 

Speaking of Hunk, where was he? After the paladins left Allura so she could talk to Her Majesty more, he seemed to have vanished. Probably wandered off somewhere in the castle. Lance sighed, "Well, I guess I better go find the big guy and tell him about our sleeping arrangements, then." Pidge nodded and carried on a conversation with Keith as Lance went off to look for Hunk.

 

A notable detail about the castle's architecture was the amount of balconies it had. It seemed as though every twenty-or-so feet Lance walked, there was another pocket into the outside world beside him. Lance hadn't noticed them before, but now that it was nearing the second half of the quintant, they became more apparent. Lance ended up finding Hunk on one of those balconies.

 

The color of the sky had turned from a pale green to a burnt yellow with time, and the lighting made Hunk look just gorgeous. White Zuethean flowers hung above his friend's head in a canopy like a delicate frame, Lance wished he could take a picture. He took a while to stand there and admire Hunk in all of his beauty before approaching him. Hunk was sat crisscross in front of the view before him, and Lance gently sat down beside him. He was careful not to startle him, but at the same time make himself known.

 

Hunk turned to look at Lance and gave him one of those soft smiles that made Lance's stomach do backflips. "You were right," he said suddenly. Lance was confused for a moment until he continued. "About this place being nice." Hunk's expression grew fonder as he stared back out at the landscape. Still, there was a melancholy aura about him.

 

"Yea." Lance allowed himself to shift a bit closer to Hunk as he looked off in the same direction. The planet's star shined brightly as it began dipping down into the horizon, and two of Zuethea's moons hung proudly in the sky. It was the most beautiful thing Lance had ever seen. He glanced at Hunk and noticed how his face seemed to glow in the light. Well, maybe the second most beautiful thing, Lance thought. He chuckled to himself, suddenly. When Hunk turned to look at him, Lance said, "Isn't it funny how these people are living in a place so beautiful, but they can't even see it?"

 

Hunk blinked, "Huh." Then he started laughing as well. Not for very long, but it was enough to make Lance's heart soar. "I never really thought about that. Wow...just. Man, they're missing out on so much."

 

"Right??" Lance gestured wildly with his arms. And then, being classic Lance, he brought one down to sling it around Hunk's shoulders. Hunk leaned into the touch, but his expression was solemn. Lance slouched his shoulders and looked at his face. "Everything alright? You've been kind of quiet today." Hunk sighed, and turned his gaze towards the horizon.

 

"I just...I wanna find Shiro." Lance watched the reflection of the moons in his eyes and began rubbing his back in slow circles. Hunk continued, "Like, my anxiety has been over the top since he disappeared cause–without him, we can't form Voltron! What if Zarkon comes back for a rematch?? What if there's some other unforeseeable danger that we won't be prepared for?" He let his head go slack, staring at the ground. "Shiro—he can't just...disappear, can he?"

 

"Okay first of all, I highly doubt Zarkon is gonna come back," Lance assured Hunk. "We beat him pretty hard, like, the dude's toast." Hunk didn't move, and Lance realized that he wasn't really helping that much. "And..." He brought his hand up to massage the back of Hunk's neck. "We're going to find Shiro, I promise." That was a bit of a bold statement. Lance didn't often make promises, but Hunk had a point. He couldn't just disappear, right? No, they were going to find him. Lance could promise that. "It's gonna be alright."

 

Lance withdrew his hand from the back of Hunk's neck to rest on the ground, but he accidentally placed it on top of Hunk's hand, instead. Before he could move it, Hunk took his hand into his own and clasped their fingers together. Lance's heart was racing and his face flushed crimson, not sure what to do. He nervously began rubbing his thumb against Hunk's hand as he held it, not daring to look at him. They stayed like that for awhile, hand and hand, watching the alien sunset in its mysterious beauty as the star sunk deeper and deeper into the horizon.

 

It was...nice. Different from how they usually comforted each other during tough times. Maybe it wasn't about consolation as much as it was about being with each other. Lance loved the warmth he felt when he was with Hunk. He loved the feeling of his hand in Hunk's, the sound of him humming a song Lance didn't recognize. Lance loved Hunk. He loved everything about him, and he wanted him to know that. Lance took the risk and moved to lean up against Hunk's side, still holding his hand. He let his eyes slip closed as he soaked up more of Hunk's warmth. Could he tell him? Probably. Would he feel the same? Lance didn't know.

 

As he opened his mouth to say something, he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching them. He heard Keith's voice, "Um. There's dinner." Way to ruin the moment, Keith. Lance reluctantly sat up and turned to face him.

 

"Uh-huh. Um. Where?" Lance narrowed his eyes at Keith. He tried to hide his disappointment, and also embarrassment from being caught in a kind of intimate moment. Keith didn't say anything, he just walked away. Lance assumed he wanted the two of them to follow him, so he pat Hunk on the shoulder, beckoning him to come with. He would have other times to tell Hunk his feelings, but right now they had to eat.

 

 

The dining hall was magnificent. Much like Zymthys' throne, the table and chairs levitated off the ground. Elegant with a futuristic touch. The lights hanging above the dining area resembled the native flowers, large petals embracing orbs of light floating in place. Lance wanted to ask how they worked, but he knew Pidge would probably beat him to it. Apparently Her Majesty invited people to the castle for dinner more often than she had them stay in it, because the dining hall was fairly packed with other Zuetheans. Lance was sitting next to one at the table, so naturally he started a conversation.

 

"So...what's your name?" Lance leaned towards the Zuethean next to him and watched as they clicked in his direction. This one was a peachy sort of pink, and was wearing a white shawl with beads. What was with these people and their beads?

 

"I am called Zophiel," they replied in a soft voice, nervously bowing their head and turning towards their plate. Zuetheans seemed to be fairly shy, excluding Her Majesty, of course. The petals on the sides of their head fluttered as they clicked at their plate. Lance studied Zophiel's profile and noticed there were holes in the sides of their head in front of their petal-flaps. Oh, right. Ears. 

 

Lance started playing with his eating utensil. Their food hadn't arrived yet, so he was trying to pass the time. "I noticed everything on this planet seems to start with 'Z' huh?" Zophiel raised their head, their mouth a straight line.

 

"A 'zee'...?" They repeated, appearing confused.

 

"Oh, sorry," Lance exclaimed. "I'm just thinking in terms of my planet's alphabet. Well actually, one of its alphabets. There's a lot of different ones." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. As much as he tried to make it seem like it, Lance wasn't very good at talking to aliens.

 

Zophiel hummed. "What planet do you come from? Is it very far away?" They were leaning a bit closer to Lance now.

 

"Oh, you know. Earth. It's pretty far away, you heard of it?"

 

Zophiel shook their head. Lance could jot that down as another universal gesture. "No, I haven't. It sounds interesting. Is it nice there?"

 

"Yea, it's beautiful..." Lance trailed off, thinking about all of the things that made Earth so beautiful. Like the rain, and Veradera Beach, and...oh man, he was letting his homesickness catch up with him. Time to change the subject. "So...would you say Zuethea is pretty romantic?" Wow. Nice job, Lance.

 

Zophiel pondered the question, clicking idly. "Well...not extremely romantic. But our people do experience romance." Not really the kind of answer Lance was looking for, but he was willing to take this opportunity to learn more about Zuethean culture.

 

"Oh yea? How do you guys...like...I don't know, convey romantic feelings towards each other?"

 

"Hmm..." Zophiel rested their three long fingers underneath their chin as they thought. "Well face-nuzzling is a common gesture among people in romantic affiliations with each other. And sometimes they put their mouths together, but a lot of people die from that because they are unaware of their surroundings in the moment and get eaten by one of the deadly creatures on the planet." Yikes. Maybe this subject wasn't much better. Lance didn't have to try to change it, though, because he saw the food arriving.

 

The dining hall rang with an uproar of clicking noises as food was distributed to everyone's plates. Lance took a moment to observe his surroundings. Allura was sitting in the seat beside the head of the table, chatting with Zymthys. Pidge had two Zuetheans on each side of her, telling her a whole bunch of things about their planet while her eyes sparkled with fascination. Keith, of course, was sitting not too far off, brooding and picking at his food. And Hunk...where was Hunk?

 

"Hey, you gonna eat that, dude?"

 

Lance spun around to find Hunk staring at him from two seats away. Okay, there he was. He gestured at Lance's full plate of food and raised his eyebrows. Lance simply nodded and took in a mouthful of food, glancing at Hunk again with his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. Hunk snorted and gave Lance a thumbs up, returning his attention to his own meal. Hunk knew that Lance didn't really eat much, and Lance knew that he knew. A lot of the times when they were eating together, Hunk would pester him about finishing his plate. As annoying as it was, it warmed his heart that Hunk cared so much about his health.

 

Dinner went by fast, and the Zuethean people began leaving the dining hall almost hurriedly after they finished. Lance guessed it was so they could get back to their homes and avoid whatever 'dangerous creatures' lurked around towards the end of the quintant. Lance was secretly glad the social vargas were over, though. He was exhausted. The thought of sleep reminded him that he completely forgot to tell Hunk about their sleeping arrangements.

 

Lance caught Hunk on his way out of the dining hall. "Hunk!" He shouted in his direction. When Hunk turned, Lance caught his breath and continued. "I forgot to mention, uh. Zymthys didn't have enough rooms in her castle, so you and I are gonna have to share one. That cool?" Hunk's eyes widened for a split-second before he nodded. Lance flashed him a friendly grin before saying, "Well then, shall we get going?"

 

When Hunk and Lance reached their room, they discovered something that they hadn't anticipated: there was only one bed. Lance's heart immediately jumped into his throat. Oh my god he was going to be sleeping in the same bed as him??? This was Lance's dream come true and worst nightmare all in one. Hunk didn't seem too bothered by it though, and he walked over to where their Zuethean sleeping garments hung and started changing into them. Lance turned away at lightning-speed to hide the blush that so obviously covered his face. While doing his best to avoid looking at Hunk, he proceeded to change into his pajamas as well.

 

After they were both dressed, Lance got a good look at Hunk. The pajamas looked nice on him, the cream-colored garment contrasting with his darker skin tone. Lance watched as Hunk untied the headband from his hair and tied it around his wrist. For as long as they had been friends, Lance never knew he did that. It was cute. He realized that he must've looked like a total doofus just standing their and watching his friend, so he made his way towards the bed.

 

Lance crawled into bed on the right side, curling up on the soft mattress and closing his eyes. He opened them when he felt the bed dip down from the other side as Hunk got in next to him. They were both settled, facing each other with their hands centimeters away from touching. Even in the dim light, Hunk looked stunning. He could see it in the way his hair fell delicately over the sides of his face and how smooth his skin was. Did he have some kind of miracle skincare routine? He had to, there was no way his skin could be that soft otherwise. That was a conversation for another time. For now, they were just kind of staring at each other awkwardly as they lay next to each other. Lance opted to break the trance with a smile, saying, "Goodnight," and shutting his eyes again. Slowly, sleep overcame him like a wave.

 

\--

 

Lance was awake. Though he was fairly certain he wasn't supposed to be—it felt like only a couple of vargas had passed since he fell asleep. But then he heard sniffling, and he opened his eyes. Shit, Hunk was crying. His eyes were squeezed shut as tears were streaming down his face. He kept hiccuping and curled in on himself, and Lance's heart shattered at the sight. "Hey, hey," he whispered, gently draping his arm around Hunk's waist. Hunk whimpered and ducked his head into Lance's shoulders.

 

They stayed like that for a bit, Lance softly stroking Hunk's back whispering soothing nothings to him as he sobbed into the crook of Lance's neck. He payed mind to Hunk's arms snaking around him to hold him, too. They didn't have to say anything, Lance knew why he was crying. The stress of losing Shiro was massive, and it was doing a huge number on Hunk's anxiety. Lance just held him through it until he heard his crying soften a bit. Now with just small whimpers coming from Hunk's end, Lance shifted to press their foreheads together. Hunk's eyes were red and puffy and his cheeks were tear-stained, but he still looked beautiful.

 

Lance gave Hunk a small smile, looking directly into his eyes. "It's gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay," he said softly. He moved his hands up to cup Hunk's face. Hunk's expression grew fonder and he leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. Lance's heart was practically swelling with love. He felt an overwhelming need to protect Hunk, to always be there for him and hold onto him forever. He loved Hunk so, so much. Lance rubbed his thumb over Hunk's cheek and started humming a song that reminded him of home. Hunk slowly opened his eyes and just stared at him. His expression was one that Lance couldn't read. Before he knew it, Hunk was leaning in and closing the distance between them.

 

Hunk kissed him softly, but almost hungrily. Lance kissed back with the same passion, tipping his head to deepen it. He couldn't believe it. Hunk was kissing him. And he was kissing Hunk. God, he had been wanting to do this since forever. Hunk brought his hands up to Lance's shoulders and Lance desperately fisted his hands into his hair. He felt Hunk's tongue brush against his and he wanted more. This didn't even compare to all of the times Lance had thought about kissing Hunk. Pushing his tongue into Hunk's mouth, Lance pulled their bodies together so that they were pressed against each other. Hunk moaned into his mouth in a way that did things to Lance's heart. Suddenly, Lance was flipped onto his back and Hunk was on top of him. They were still kissing, and Lance decided to take his chances and slip his hands under Hunk's shirt. He was so warm, and his skin was so soft. Then Hunk brought his knee up to press between Lance's legs, and he was seeing stars. He couldn't hold back his moan. Lance had wanted this for so long, he wondered if he was dreaming.

 

They pulled away, and Hunk began working on his neck. Lance brought his hand up to his own mouth to muffle his whines as he desperately ground his hips against Hunk's, craving the friction. Hunk provided, meeting back with equal force. Lance let his mouth hang open, which Hunk used as an opportunity to continue kissing him. Holy shit. Their tongues slid together with such ease as their hips continued to rock together with such want. However, it didn't last long. Before he knew it, Lance was reaching his climax and he buried his face in the crook of Hunk's neck as he came. Hunk followed close behind, grinding his hips erratically before coming with a groan. When he came down from his high, Hunk flopped back onto the bed on his side, pulling Lance in so that his back was pressed against his stomach. He lazily wrapped his arms around him and that's how they stayed for the rest of the night.

 

\--

 

When Lance woke up, he was cold. The big arms that had been wrapped around his waist were gone and there was a gaping empty space on the bed where Hunk used to be. Lance immediately sat up. What time was it? When did Hunk leave? Memories from last night came flooding back to him and he blushed furiously. Right. Lance brought his hand up to feel the tender skin on his neck. Thinking about what happened made his chest erupt with fluttery feelings. Damn, if he wasn't already head over heals for Hunk, he certainly was now.

 

The question was, why did Hunk leave? And when he did, why didn't he wake Lance up? The thought made Lance spiral into a mild panic. What if Hunk hated it? What if he hated him? Wait a minute, this was Hunk he was thinking about. He wouldn't hate anyone for something like that, would he? But what if he thought it was bad? Or worse, what if this whole thing was just a one-time fling? Oh god, that idea made Lance sick to his stomach. Deep down, he knew Hunk wasn't like that, but it still made him worry. Well, Lance thought, if Hunk was out and about so should he. He quickly changed back into his own clothes and headed for the door.

 

When he opened the door, he was immediately met with a fist to the face. Lance stumbled backwards and glared at the perpetrator. Keith stood frozen in his doorway, eyes wide and fist still raised like he was about to knock on his door. Oh. "Geez!" Lance exclaimed. "Why do you knock so hard??"

 

Keith lowered his hand and shrugged. "Thought you were still asleep."

 

Lance rubbed his face where he got punched and sighed. "Whatever. Where the quiznak is Hunk?"

 

"He went with Pidge and Allura to the mines to harvest the teb-whatever," Keith told him, crossing his arms. Lance's shoulders sagged.

 

"What?? I wanted to go!"

 

"Yea well, Allura wanted the two of us to stay here just in case. Coran contacted us and said there's a Galra ship in the system." Keith shrugged again. "I doubt they'll do anything though, considering Zarkon's inability to give orders at the moment. Still, best we be on guard."

 

Right, okay. Lance was still pretty disappointed about not getting to see the mines. Plus, there wasn't much to do in the castle. "How much longer till they get back?" He whined.

 

"I had contact with Pidge about a varga ago, though i still don't know what a varga is," Keith said, mumbling the last part. "She said they almost had enough. So, any second now."

 

"It's any tick now, Keith," Lance corrected him, narrowing his eyes.

 

Keith held his hands up in defense. "Whatever, I don't pay attention to these alien time measurements. Anyways, I'm gonna go see if there's a training deck around here."

 

"I highly doubt it, these people don't really fight all that much!" Lance hollered at him as he walked away. Man, what a nerd. A buff nerd, but a nerd nonetheless.

 

Lance decided to wander aimlessly around the castle while he waited for Hunk's return. There was a fear, deep in his gut, that Hunk was ignoring him. God, that would be the worst. He'd gotten the silent treatment from Hunk before, which was probably the worst two days of his life. At this moment in time, Lance missed Hunk ten times more than he normally would if Hunk was out somewhere. Maybe it was the anticipation for whatever would happen next. Lance genuinely had no idea whether the events of last night would make or break their relationship. He wanted to know which one it was as soon as possible.

 

After walking seemingly through the entire castle, Lance got bored with being inside and walked out through the front entrance. There was only one pod outside, and Lance leaned up against it, deciding to just wait for the others to get back. He gazed up at the tall alien trees hanging over him, blooming with flowers. These flowers were a lot more interesting than Earth flowers, he'd say. They came in many vibrant colors and moved as if they were sentient beings. Maybe they were, Lance didn't know. Some petals fluttered, some pulsed, some bloomed right before his eyes. I wonder if Hunk has gotten a look at these yet, Lance thought. He was suddenly distracted by a faint whirring sound in the distance.

 

Looking in the direction of the sound, Lance found the source in the sky. It was the other pod, flying back towards the castle. He immediately jumped up from where he was sitting and frantically began waving his arms, shouting with excitement. He saw the vague shape of Pidge's arm wave back. Lance heard another shout, except it was coming from behind him. He spun around and found Keith looking out from one of the balconies in the castle.

 

The pod landed at the same time Keith emerged from the front entrance. Pidge ran towards the two of them and started hopping around excitedly. "The mines were amazing!!" She exclaimed. "The structure is super efficient for harvesting material, it's incredible that these people did all of it!" Lance let Keith carry on the conversation with her as he watched Hunk step out of the pod. They made eye contact, and Lance smiled at him. His heart filled with warmth and joy when he saw Hunk smile back genuinely. He felt a wave of relief knowing they were still on good terms. Overwhelmed with happiness, he leaped towards Hunk and squeezed him in a tight hug.

 

Hunk yelped before regaining his balance and wrapping his arms around Lance's back. He held him like that before pulling away to say something. "Hey, can I talk to you in a bit?" Lance felt a pang of worry in his chest for a split second, but he quickly regained his composure. He was pretty sure they were okay, so there shouldn't have been a problem. Lance nodded and walked beside Hunk as everyone made their way back into the castle.

 

"We got just enough teblium to be used for the device," Allura announced. "I will report our finished business to Zymthys. The rest of you should gather your things and be prepared to return to the castle ship." Without hesitation, the group split up.

 

Neither Hunk or Lance really had anything that they brought to the castle, so they took the opportunity to chill. The two of them sat cross-legged facing each other on the bed. Hunk was nervously drumming his fingers against his own knee, refusing to make eye contact with Lance. Lance knew he had something to say, but he was patient with him. "So..." Hunk started. "About last night..." Lance swallowed, bracing his hands on his knees. He shouldn't have been nervous, why was he nervous? Hunk continued, "Did you...think it was...bad?"

 

Bad? Bad? "No!" He exclaimed, probably too quickly. "No, I didn't. I...I enjoyed it." Yea, he was definitely blushing now. The memory of Hunk's hands on him made him shiver. He wanted them on him again. "Do you think it was...?"

 

Hunk's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, of course not." They stayed silent for a bit. Lance wanted to say something, but Hunk was talking again. "So...does this change anything between us?" He looked up, and Lance couldn't read his expression.

 

What was he supposed to say? Yes, Lance kind of did want things to change between them. Not in a bad way, though. He still wanted to be friends with Hunk, but he wanted more than that. He wanted to be with him. He wanted to be able to kiss him and cuddle with him all the time and let him know how much he loved him. He wanted the sentiment and intimacy of a romantic relationship. The question was whether Hunk felt the same way or not. If Lance told him how he felt, would he run away? Well, since this situation was kind of set up for honesty, he was going to be honest.

 

"It doesn't have to," Lance said a bit too firmly. "But I'd like it to."

 

He still couldn't read Hunk's face, but he saw his eyebrows draw together. "What do you mean by that?" Hunk was making it very hard for Lance to manipulate his answers based on what he thought Hunk wanted to hear. He probably knew what he was doing, and that only made Lance more nervous about what he was going to say next.

 

"Meaning..." Lance gulped down any second thoughts he had, narrowing all of his thinking down to just 'fuck it'. "Hunk, I love you." He took a moment to let that sink in, staring Hunk directing in the eyes. "And that isn't some new feeling that sprouted last night. No, I've loved you for a very long time. And I'm gonna be honest, I would really like it if you were my boyfriend, but if you don't feel that way, it doesn't have to be that way. Right now, I'm just—" The rest of his rant was muffled by Hunk's lips pressed against his.

 

Lance gasped into his mouth, parting his lips and giving him more access. Their lips fit together like a puzzle, and their tongues slid together like it was the easiest thing in the world. Lance draped his arms around the back of Hunk's neck and deepened the kiss even more. However, it didn't last long, because Hunk was pulling away. He looked at Lance in a way Lance had never seen him do before. "Say it again," he said breathlessly. When Lance hesitated, Hunk repeated himself, "Say it again so I know I'm not dreaming."

 

Hunk's lips curled into a faint smile, and Lance could only think to smile back. "I love you," he said with perfectly clear diction. Hunk sighed and pulled him back in for a kiss. It was softer this time, and Lance melted into it. It soon turned into Lance showering Hunk's face with kisses, whispering little 'i love you's in between. Hunk, in his giddiness, planted a kiss on Lance's forehead in return.

 

He cupped Lance's face in his hands, suddenly. His smile was fond. "I love you too," he whispered, and Lance's heart erupted with happiness. He swung his arms around to squeeze Hunk into a hug. Hunk returned the gesture, holding him close.

 

"I can't believe this is happening!" Lance cried, swaying the two of them back and forth. He pulled back to look Hunk in the face. "So does that mean you'll be my boyfriend?"

 

Hunk smiled wide, showing his teeth. "I would love that." They pulled each other in for another hug. Lance rested his cheek on Hunk's shoulder. He had never felt this happy in his entire life. He suddenly felt Hunk start shuddering under him, and Lance pulled back again.

 

"Aw, c'mon man. Why are you crying?" Lance asked, though he was still smiling. He brought his hands up to wipe at the tears on Hunk's cheeks. Hunk just laughed, his voice cracking as he rested his own hands on Lance's.

 

"I'm just so happy!" He cried, pressing their foreheads together. They were both laughing now, but they were soon interrupted by a knock on the door.

 

Pidge appeared in the doorway. "C'mon guys, we gotta get goin—" she took in the sight before her and froze. "Um, is everything okay??" She stared pointedly at the tears running down Hunk's face.

 

Lance and Hunk stared back at her. Then they glanced at each other and burst out laughing. "Yea, we're fine," Lance said breathlessly. Pidge still had a skeptical look on her face.

 

"You guys are weird. Let's go," she sighed and walked away from their room. Hunk and Lance followed, still giggling to each other. Pidge didn't notice them link their hands together behind her back.

 

\--

 

Since Allura had managed to make friends with Zymthys, Her Majesty told them that her planet would lend Voltron a hand if needed in the fight against the Empire. Though it was nice to have another planet on their side, Lance honestly couldn't see these people engaging in any form of combat. As the team took off in their pods, countless Zuetheans gathered below them and waved goodbye. Lance caught sight of Zophiel in their white shawl and smiled as he waved back.

 

He aimed his smile behind him at Hunk, who no longer had that far-off look in his eyes. Instead, he gazed warmly at his boyfriend and reached for his hand to squeeze it gently. They lingered like that until Keith's voice rang in their communicators telling them to get a move on. Lance reluctantly let go of Hunk's hand and focused on flying. Not before mouthing 'I love you' at Hunk and replying to Keith with a snarky 'ok fine geez'.

 

When they neared the castle, Coran reached out to them through the comm. "I surely hope you're on your way, because I think that Galra ship I mentioned is aware of our presence. We might want to get out of the system before they try to instigate anything." There was a sense of urgency in Coran's tone, and Lance picked up speed towards the castle.

 

 

Luckily they did not end up crossing paths with the Galra ship. When the team reached the castle, Allura successfully wormholed them away from the danger. They made contact with Slav, who had settled himself in the headquarters of the Galra rebellion. He would be meeting them the next quintant to discuss building the device to find Shiro. Lance could feel a slight giddiness in his chest knowing how close they were to potentially finding him. Keith seemed to be full of adrenaline as well, for as soon as they got resettled, he immediately hit the training deck, a look of fire set in his eyes. Lance payed little mind to him, sinking down on the soft Altean couch in the common area. As cozy as Zuethea was, it was nice to be home. Huh, Lance thought. Since when did he start considering the castle home?

 

Hunk and Pidge joined Lance in the common area a few ticks later. Lance stretched his arms out and beckoned Hunk into them. Hunk sighed but complied, sitting down next to him and letting Lance snake his arms around his waist in a loving embrace. Pidge glanced at the two of them and raised an eyebrow before seating herself in the couch across from them, focusing her attention on her computer. Lance pressed himself up against Hunk, squeezing him gently in his arms. Hunk reached around to wrap his arm around Lance's shoulders, resting his chin on top of his head.

 

Lance relaxed in the warmth that was Hunk, and gazed lovingly up at his boyfriend. "I love you," he murmured.

 

Hunk squeezed him closer. "I love you, too," he giggled. They were both smiling like idiots as Hunk placed a kiss on the top of Lance's head.

 

Pidge chuckled from her end of the room. "Y'all are so sappy, it's almost gross." She looked up at them from her screen for a tick before smirking. "Congrats, by the way." A blush grew on Hunk's face as she continued to type away, while Lance simply grinned.

 

"Thank you very much," He chirped, cuddling himself impossibly closer to Hunk's side. So what, they were being obvious? They were going to be living on this ship with these people for god knows how much longer, why try to keep it a secret? Lance looked up at Hunk and saw a look on his face that said he was probably thinking the same thing.

 

Hunk turned to look at Lance, and Lance felt his heart stutter. The look Hunk was giving him was so soft, yet so intense. Intense with emotion and love. Lance had never seen that look on his face before, and he never wanted it to leave. When Lance was with Hunk, he was warm. And Hunk's face told him that he would never be cold again.

 

Lance seemed to melt in their embrace, finding a spot to rest his head in the crook of Hunk's neck. He breathed in Hunk's scent and let himself be enveloped in his warmth. He wondered if Hunk felt the warmth Lance felt when he was with him. Regardless, Lance decided that he would never let Hunk be cold again, either.

 

 

\--

 

A/N: if you want to see a drawing of what the Zuetheans looks like, there's one [here](http://fruitygelpens.tumblr.com/post/158035130060/hey-i-havent-posted-in-a-bit-cause-im-a-doofus)

**Author's Note:**

> wow okay so this is my first ever hance fic that i have been putting off finishing for awhile now...the title is from the song Youth by Wolf Colony. so, yea,,


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